In the summer of 1997, a young, 20-year-old Hispanic/Latino woman named Heather Hernandez had recently arrived in Spokane, Washington, having moved from the Southwest in July. Described by those who knew her as smart, funny, and level-headed, her time in the city was tragically short-lived. Her life took a dark turn, and within a few weeks of her arrival, she had been arrested twice for prostitution.
On August 16, 1997, Heather Hernandez was murdered.
Ten days later, on August 26, her partially clothed and decomposing body was discovered in an overgrown lot in east Spokane. She had been shot. In the initial stages of the investigation, detectives had very few clues and no clear motive for the killing, which marked Spokane's sixth homicide of the year. Her death, along with the discovery of another young woman's body on the same day, sparked fears that a serial killer was targeting vulnerable women in the area.
For nearly three years, Heather's murder remained unsolved, one of a string of cases involving women, many of whom were prostitutes, found dead in and around Spokane. The breakthrough came in April 2000 with the arrest of Robert Lee Yates Jr., a former Army helicopter pilot. DNA evidence conclusively linked Yates to the murders of multiple women. Following his arrest, Yates confessed to killing 13 people, including Heather Hernandez. He admitted to targeting sex workers, often engaging in sexual acts with them before shooting them. Yates was sentenced to 408 years in prison, a sentence that ensured he would never be free again. He later received a death sentence for two additional murders, which was subsequently commuted to life without parole. During his sentencing, the families of his victims, including Heather's, had the opportunity to confront the man who had caused them immeasurable pain, describing him as a monster.
